Ad Platforms - Internet Radio (Pandora, Spofify, iHeart)

The digital audio revolution has had an incredible effect on the way people access music and radio shows… and few audio delivery formats reach as many potential voters as internet radio.

How is Internet Radio Used?

Primarily accessed via mobile app, these services tend to offer ad-free memberships as well as ad-supported free access. Spotify, the largest streaming audio service, reaches 47.7 million monthly active users — about 21 million of which are “free” users enjoying the ad-supported version. However, Spotify recently announced to Ad Age that they’re banning political ads. Their reasoning? They don’t have the robust systems and tools to manage and regulate political advertising correctly, and deal with the onslaught of things like “fake news” that plagued Facebook and other platforms during the 2016 election. It remains to be seen if organizational advertising (such as non-profits or other organizations) will be able to get messages across to influence folks towards their candidates and causes, without specific reference to a specific campaign.

To read more about audio advertising with voiceover on Spotify, visit adstudio.spotify.com.

Meanwhile, Pandora has reported 63 million monthly active users — 41 million of which are using the ad-supported feature. You can consult their microsite, Pandora for Brands, for guidance on advertising with the platform. With Pandora, you can send completed ads (fully mixed with voice talent, music bed etc.) to them to play, or you can work with their Studio Resonate team to create your unique Pandora ad experience.

If you’d like to advertise on the iHeart Radio app, you can gain access to both their digital and radio reach. Visit their advertising hub here at: https://www.iheartmedia.com/advertising

An important consideration when choosing internet radio for your messaging and advertising is that the majority of users access these apps via mobile devices — which means, users are likely listening on headphones. That means a voiceover performance not only needs to be conversational and seamless, but also friendly, intimate and approachable. A traditional announcer, like the classic used car “Sunday, Sunday, Sunday!” ads is not going to cut it.

One of the great things about the audio streaming services is they allow you to target your message based on the data the apps collect: you can target geographically, demographically, or by genre type.

While the distribution method may differ from satellite radio and terrestrial radio, the production — especially in regards to your voiceover direction — should remain pretty much the same.